


On the Right Path

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Big Mutant Family, First Meetings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mutant Pride, Protective Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21711316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Erik's messed up his life. He's not letting other mutants make the same mistake.
Relationships: Armando Muñoz/Alex Summers, Erik Lehnsherr & Charles Xavier
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31
Collections: Secret Mutant Madness 2019





	On the Right Path

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [dedkake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedkake/pseuds/dedkake) in the [secret_mutant_madness_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/secret_mutant_madness_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Charles and Erik work or volunteer with mutant youth. (this could focus on their relationship with one another, or on one or the other's relationship with the program, or anything else)

"For fucks sake, John!" Logan swore, getting to his feet and storming off to deal with the fire alarm, and the fire.

Erik stared after him, rubbing at his neck self consciously. This had been a stupid idea to start with. But he'd wanted to prove he could do something good, to give his mother a reason to smile. She'd supported it, and he'd gone along with it because... well, this was a chance, and he knew that there were precious few of those for a mutant with a criminal record.

So he'd signed up to volunteer with mutant youth at Xavier's, to hopefully work towards stopping them making the mistakes he did. It had wondered, when he'd first applied, why they'd been willing to accept him, but then he suppose there weren't that many people wanting to deal with these brats. 

He sighed, and rubbed his forehead. He had been... if not getting along with Logan, at least managing to be polite, even if the older social worker had been kind of blunt. And then one of the teenagers had gone and set fire to... he didn't even know what, and left him alone in the office.

He took a deep breath. This was a chance, to prove to himself and to the world that he was more than the man who had been swept up with anti-human violence, who had been manipulated and taken advantage of and had fucked up.

"Hello," a voice spoke behind him, and he felt the presence of a wheelchair before he turned to find a young man staring at him. "Did Logan get distracted?"

"I ... I think one of the teenagers set a fire," Erik admitted, not wanting to get Logan into trouble for going and doing his damn job.

"That'd be John," the man said quickly. "He's able to manipulate fire. You must be...Erik, the metallokinetic who was interested in volunteering. I'm Charles. A telepath."

"Oh," Erik nodded, glad Emma had already taught him a lot about shielding. "Sorry, I can wait or go if now isn't a good time or-"

"Now is a perfect time. The fire is fairly contained, and he's getting better at it all the time. I'm sorry, John probably isn't the best of our clients to have met - he is working through some stuff. But... well." Charles shrugged slightly. "He's getting there. Let me at least show you around, introduce you to some of our students..." With that, Charles went towards the door, and after a moment Erik followed.

A little girl ran straight up to them, through Charles's wheelchair, and then paused to look up at Erik.  
"Hello!"

"Hi?" Erik asked cautiously, reaching out and holding out his hand for her to shake. She did so, giggling, and felt solid enough.

"This is Kitty, she's one of our youngest regulars." _She can walk through walls, and people. She's very kind, if a little too likely to assume everyone means her well. Although at least her power set helps her get out of any trouble she ends up in._ Charles explained, then frowned.

"Sean, you know the rules. No psychoactive substances before you come here, it gives me a headache." 

He was met with an eye-roll from a curly haired young man.  
"I took it hours ago!" 

"Still-" Charles glared. "This is Sean. He has the ability to produce sonic screams. That boy is Pietro, he's a speedster, and next to him is Bobby who has ice manipulation. In the corner, that's Darwin and little Scott."

Erik looked over, seeing a teenage boy bouncing a baby on his knee. After a few moments, another young man walked over, picking the baby up and then resting his head on Darwin's shoulder.

 _That's Alex. He and Scott spend a lot of time here, because they're finding it hard in their current foster placement. He's struggling a lot with anger issues, and I think he'd benefit from your support. Generally we're just around, make sure that they don't do anything too dangerous, I'm teaching them to control their abilities, but..._ He nodded as Logan approached. "I've just been showing Erik here the ropes."

"I don't get why you don't just confiscate the fucker's matches." Logan cursed, and Erik could see his singed eyebrows recovering as he stood there.

"Because," Charles said softly. "He needs to control his power, and to feel that he is trusted. He's been ... he needs to know we're willing to trust him, even with there being a risk, or he won't feel safe. And anyway, having his lighter taken away... it makes him feel vulnerable."

"And not taking his lighter away makes him a fucking menace." Logan muttered, and Charles stared at him.

"A menace who needs help." Charles said simply. 

Logan snorted and walked away, leaving the two of them there.

"He's meant to be mentoring me," Erik pointed out, a little embarrassed.

Charles nodded.  
"Well, he seems to be in a bad mood. I can show you around if you like."

"Sure, are you another volunteer or?"

"Actually, this is my house." Charles explained. "It was my idea, with increased integration in schools, to try and ensure there were places young mutants could come and explore that side to their identity. Where they would be safe, and able to test themselves, without fearing they will be despised for it. 

"Oh. Okay." Erik nodded, and swallowed. "Thank you for this. Really. This opportunity I mean, it's not many who-"

"I've caught John looking into the Brotherhood. I know that these children are exposed to that kind of hate filled rhetoric, and worse. Having someone they can trust, who will be able to tell them honestly what happens when they go down that path... it's a difficult one to return from. But you're willing to try, and I appreciate that." Charles shrugged a little and Erik nodded.

"Still. Thank you." 

"It's alright. Prove I made the right choice?" Charles asked, and there was a bright smile on his face as he said it.

***

Erik quickly learned a lot about time at Xaviers. For a start, there was an ever cycling number of children, and he was careful to learn names and powers, to advise and support those he could, and listen when that was all that was available. 

More than that though, he came to realise which children would always be there. The ones that didn't have anywhere else to go, who had no family they could turn to for comfort. 

He sat beside his mother, sipping at his coffee, and explaining to her what he could about the children.  
"They're good, they're just... lost. Even the worst of them - he's not a monster. None of them are. They're just kids."

"Oh liebling..." she sighed and shook her head. "Don't you see, that's why you were given a second chance. Because you were just a child as well, and you didn't deserve what happened..." She leaned up and kissed his forehead. "My poor little boy, so caring."

He shrugged a little.  
"We can help them. Maybe."

"I don't doubt it for a moment my little one," she promised, and he raised an eyebrow at her, muttering as always about the fact he was considerably taller than his mother. She waved her hands, brushing his concerns aside, and he snorted and stole a biscuit off her plate. She let him, and then retaliated by snatching a biscuit of his own.

He grinned, glad for her company, and looking forwards to his next shift.

***

Two months in, and Alex sat down with him, Darwin beside him and holding Scott. Alex hesitated, then pulled up his shirt to expose a line of bruises.  
"Look. I heard you might actually care." Alex spat the words. "I had another fight with my foster family, and I'm worried they're going to get mad at Scott because he's teething."

Erik nodded, and took a deep breath. Charles had talked him through all the protocols, but it was still unnerving to take on this responsibility, to know that even if Alex was grumpy about it, he was still willing to come to him for support.   
"Yes, I care. I'd like to write down what's been going on, if that's alright? I can get Charles if you want, or..."

"Can Darwin stay?" Alex asked, and he sounded pretty broken.

"Yeah, we're going to handle this." And with that promise made, Erik started to try and fix it.

Two weeks later, Alex had a new placement, and he was happier. He and Darwin turned up at Xavier's less often, but Erik knew that was good. Hearing Charles had paid for the lawyers to deal with it made it even better.

***

A month later, Charles suggested him training for a job. By then he'd found some work delivering leaflets, which he could do in the morning before Xaviers opened. But this was new, this was something meaningful, and he wanted it.

Charles was quick to sort out a contract. Three weeks after he'd stepped through the door, not sure if he could do this, he had discovered that working here was exactly where he was meant to be, and where he could make a difference. He couldn't have been happier, or prouder, of himself or his children.

On the first day of his new job, his mother sent him in with a box of cookies. Pietro promptly stole most of them.


End file.
